CFMEU, Services Union blast Gympie council over alleged staff pay battle tactics

The Gympie council has been lashed by the CFMEU and Services Union. Read the latest.

Gympie Regional Council has been blasted by union representatives who claim it is engaging in “standover tactics” ahead of planned industrial action as the fight over a staff pay rise drags on.

A CFMEU spokesman levelled the accusation after claims council workers were told they would be locked out should they strike and walk off the job.

A council spokesman said Thursday this was correct.

“Protected Industrial Action is lawful and the right of those union members – we respect their decision,” the spokesman said.

“It is the decision of staff who are members of these unions if they wish to participate or not.

“Although council is disappointed that an agreement has not yet been reached, we look forward to continuing to meet with the unions, with the next scheduled union meeting on Tuesday 23 August.”

Gympie Regional Council’s management has been blasted by unions after telling staff they would be locked out of the job if they walked off as part of industrial action.

The CFMEU spokesman said the threats were little more than “standover tactics” in the face of what was protected action by staff upset over the council’s failure to table a fair offer.

The council and the unions have been engaged in a drawn-out battle over a new bargaining agreement after the last one expired in December 2021.

Staff have since been offered a 1.5 per cent per year pay rise.

This was below inflation and the increase secured by neighbouring councils including Bundaberg Regional Council (2.2 per cent) and Fraser Coast Regional Council (2.5 per cent) in the past year.

The Australian Worker’s Union and the CFMEU have notified the council industrial action could be undertaken from Wednesday, August 17 to Thursday, August 25.

The CFMEU has further flagged the potential for more action from its members from Wednesday, August 24 to Tuesday, August 30.

Services Union secretary Neil Henderson called the Gympie council’s threats “outrageous” and “nonsense”, and urged the council to come up with a better offer than the “peanuts” 1.5 per cent pay rise that was on the table. Photo: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

The nature of this action is not yet known; it could include either not answering phones, or stopping work entirely.

The council traditionally employs about 500 staff, although it has been under fire from the Services Union after it was revealed more than 100 positions had been left vacant, many for at least a year.

Services Union secretary Neil Henderson, whose union has also been involved in the prolonged battle over pay and levelled its own criticisms at the council in the past, called the threats “outrageous” and “nonsense”.

Mr Henderson said on Thursday the offers the council had placed on the table to-date fell well short of the line.

“They should cough up a decent pay rise … they’re offering peanuts,” he said.

The Services Union has also accused the council of interrogating its staff as to whether they were a member of a union, a question Mr Henderson said could be resolved swiftly.

“If they want to know who is in the Union, ring me and ask me,” he said.

He said he hoped the problems could be resolved before the situation reached the point of staff taking action.

“We just want to sit down and fix the matter,” Mr Henderson said.